Ashley Graham covers the February 2019 issue of ELLE US, styled by Anna Trevelyan for images by Carin Backoff./ Hair by Ben Skervin; makeup George Sandev

Graham, now 31, has moved light years from her discovery at the Oak View Mall in her hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska. In the years since, Graham is widely known as an advocate for body confidence and inclusive sizing in the fashion industry. Graham blitzed into the 2016 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue as its first curvy model. After all, men notoriously prefer women with curves, right?

She’s launched her own podcast, "Pretty Big Deal;" has begun filming the feel-good talk show "Fearless," for Ellen DeGeneres’s digital network; and has become the newly minted host as well as an executive producer of American Beauty Star, Lifetime’s reality-competition show that pits top hair and makeup artists against each other in a series of challenges, à la Project Runway. “There was only one person we wanted to host the new season of American Beauty Star, and that was Ashley Graham,” says Gena McCarthy, executive vice president and head of programming for Lifetime Unscripted and FYI. “Her charisma and confidence are unmatched, and her infectious personality is always inspiring.” Graham’s co–executive producer Ross Elliot sums it up thusly: “It’s the Oprah factor.”

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